Reaping the Consequences
by Port in the Storm
Summary: Naruto is forced to live in the ANBU headquarters for the safety of others and himself. When Danzo tries to recruit him into ROOT, Naruto begins to take matters into his own hands. Kakashi isn't about to let him do it alone.
1. Chapter 1

Reaping the Consequences

Chapter 1: He Ran, I Followed

Warnings: mild violence, possible swearing, AU.

Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

Not Yaoi.

-o0o—

There were rumors about the ANBU Jackal that stalked the halls of the headquarters.

Whispers and gossip drifted through the concrete halls, stories like how he was inhuman, unfeeling, or how he had made chunin at five. Five! People murmured disbelievingly.

Those who knew better, however, begged to differ. Jackal cared deeply for his teammates, even if he didn't often show it.

But no one could deny how strange it was for the man to visit the resident jinchuriki daily. After all, shouldn't he have hated it? It was the container of the thing nearly destroyed Konoha…

Yes, they agreed absently over cups of coffee in the ANBU lounge room.

How…strange.

-o0o—

Jackal. ANBU captain. Twenty years old, and an S-rank nin in the Bingo books. Some considered him on the level of the Sannin, or perhaps beyond. He was Buntaichō of the infamous Assassination squad six, which had the highest success rate among the ANBU teams.

He was known to most people as Hatake Kakashi, the genius, the prodigy, the son of the shamed White Fang, the A-rank ninja who was on a power level just below the Sannin.

Very few knew that Hatake Kakashi and Jackal were one and the same. Only Yagami Rin, his ex-teammate, the revered Sandaime Hokage and Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, had any knowledge of this.

But neither the Hokage nor Jiraiya could have guessed that Kakashi was caring for Naruto, much less even tolerating the boy. Rin did.

Naruto had not always been kept in the ANBU headquarters.

If the Kyuubi even suspected that Naruto could be hurt, tendrils of red chakra would force itself out of the boy's system and lash out at anyone around it. An incident when he was three proved that the ANBU headquarters was the safest place for him; a drunken mob had raided the orphanage he'd been kept at, burning it to the ground. Later, after the ANBU had put the fires out, they'd found Naruto, unharmed. The toddler had been looking about in wide-eyed wonder, even as the Kyuubi's chakra lashed violently out around him.

Most of the ANBU who witnessed the display, from that point on, feared the child as if he was a biju himself.

As he grew older, however, so did his control of the demonic chakra and his obvious genius. Any concept was quickly absorbed by the small boy, and he loved to learn. Naruto had been allowed free run of the unclassified sections of the ANBU headquarters, which consisted mainly of offices filled with paper pushers.

It didn't take long for Danzo to notice, though, and he raised complaints about the jinchuriki's security in an attempt to recruit Naruto into ROOT. The council, unfortunately, had agreed. Sarutobi had been forced to relocate Naruto to a much darker, S-ranked section of ANBU confined to a small room in order to keep him out of Danzo's conniving paws.

However, it didn't mean the man had given up. A few run-ins with ROOT ninja disguised as ANBU, along with attempted kidnapping, cemented Naruto's jaded and cynical personality, the foundations of which were laid by the acidic comments of the occasional ANBU passing through. While they were too loyal to the Hokage to even think of actually harming the jinchuriki, it didn't stop some from verbally attacking him.

When the ROOT nin had been hunted down and captured, however, they committed suicide. An unknown seal would quickly burn the body to ashes. After the incident, Naruto, without any friends or social contact, quickly became withdrawn and distrustful, living only for his training and Konoha. He was so similar to Kakashi after his father's death, that even the Sandaime had nearly given up.

But even him, nicknamed the God of Shinobi could have predicted how it eventually turned out.

-o0o—

Kakashi hissed slightly as Rin pressed chakra-infused gel into his wounds.

She frowned disapprovingly. "Kakashi…" She whispered menacingly, too low for anyone else to hear.

"Sorry." He only sounded vaguely contrite.

"Why did you let this go long enough to get infected?" He lay on his stomach, allowing Rin access to the gash in his back. While small, the laceration was deep, and warranted a visit to the infirmary.

Kakashi shrugged helplessly. "I'd promised Naruto to get back within a week, and stopping to heal would have added at least a day to the mission time."

Rin shook her head, though the look in her eyes softened a tiny bit. "I guess you would have had to keep that promise…"

"Yes. He's just like me after my father died."

"You mean a cold, antisocial prick?"

A wry grin twisted Kakashi's lips, though she couldn't see it beneath his mask. "A cold, antisocial, _distrustful_ prick. But yes."

Rin laughed softly. "You idiot. Just be careful next time." She swiftly bandaged the wound. "I don't want you doing any strenuous activity for at least the next three days. And Jackal, that _does _includes training." She scolded.

"Yes, Lynx." He chirped back cheerfully. More soberly, he asked, "How's Naruto?"

Her expression saddened. "He's doing alright. The isolation's getting to him, though, and there are too many ROOT ninja who come on 'official' visits. At this rate, Naruto will have to be indoctrinated into ANBU, just to keep him out of Danzo's hands."

Kakashi swore softly. "Damn…"

Rin ran her hands, glowing with green medical chakra, over Kakashi's body, checking for poisons and possible other infections. "You should probably go see him soon."

"In fact, I should probably go find him now."

"Wait. I'm almost done." She finished quickly, and lifted her hands off his back.

Kakashi sat up and cautiously stretched his arms above his head. "That feels much better. Thanks."

Rin gathered up her materials and stood up to leave. "I have to meet the Hokage now. Kakashi, I want you to take one of these-" She picked up a bottle of pills. "-every day for a week. They will remove the remnants of the infection still inside your body."

"Ok." He watched her leave before gingerly stretching and getting up from the flat hospital bed. Pulling his black undershirt back down and picking up the small bottle of pills, he reached around an IV pole to unhook his ANBU vest from the bed railing. Taking a moment to make sure his jackal mask was securely in place, he vanished, a cloud of smoke left in his wake.

He reappeared in a large, circular room, which had paths branching off in all directions. Smooth grey stone stretched endlessly along all the hallways, every surface engraved with seals except for the floor beneath his feet. They spiraled along the halls, delicately embossed kanji making up every line. Some carefully carved strokes seemed to coil in among themselves, never ending, twirling in an endless dance.

Every few meters on the ceiling, the seals culminated in a bright, round ball of light. Developed in the Yondaime's time, the lights worked by gathering naturally leaked chakra that hung in the air.

Blurs of white flashed by in the intense glow as ANBU sped by in the maze of halls.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment before making his way towards the Torture and Interrogation department, better known among ninja as T&I. It happened to be where prisoners, spies, and missing-nin were kept. Unfortunately, that meant it also had the highest security of any other place in Konoha. And thus, it was deemed the best place to secure the Kyuubi jinchuriki.

The seals along the walls flashed blue every few seconds, the dim azure glow flowing along the spirals as they constantly verified the identities of the dozens of ANBU that traversed the base.

He quickly glided past the security seals, engraved kanji detailing the protection level. Passages branched off at every seal, leading to rooms that corresponded to the classification rank. the whole thing was like a massive maze, filled with sprawling passageways and small corridors.

In fact, the headquarters had been built that way. It made it that much harder for spies and traitors to record the details and report back to possible enemies.

The traffic lowered drastically when he passed the A and S rank seals, however, and he could now move much faster.

Arriving at Naruto's room, he channeled his chakra into the seal on the flat metal door. Recognizing his chakra, the seal flashed white and the door unlocked with a soft click.

"Naruto?"

A small boy, six years in age, looked up. Piercing blue eyes, haunted by a childhood of mistreatment and nightmares, stared into Kakashi's lone black eye. Black rings edged them both, clearly showing the boy's insomnia. "Jackal-san." A pause. "You're back."

"Maa, I promised, didn't I?" Kakashi cocked his head to the side, showing his amusement.

"Yes," Naruto said softly. "you did. But promises kept are rare things…"

"In the world of ninja, indeed they are." Kakashi settled onto the small futon Naruto had been sitting on, gently piling the scrolls strewn across the fabric to one side. "Have you been taking the sleeping pills Rin gave you?"

"I have."

They sat in silence for a moment. "Have the… ANBU… been bothering you?" They both knew that Kakashi included ROOT agents in that statement.

"…Only one." Naruto paused, gathering his thoughts. "It was a male, ROOT agent. His face was covered by a plain, white mask, not unlike the kind you wear." He gestured at Kakashi's Jackal mask. "He was covered by a genjutsu, but I don't think he knew I could see through it." A wry smirk twisted Naruto's lips. "He gave me an ultimatum." A breath. "Join us, or we will take you by force." Though he tried to hide it, Naruto had been shaken by the experience. Even now, Kakashi spotted the minute trembling of the boy's hands.

Kakashi was only able to prevent any outward expression of shock by remaining stone-still. That, in itself, conveyed the surprise he was trying to hide. Naruto, who know him quite well by now, picked up on this easily. Noticing that Naruto was waiting for a reply, he obliged. "That wouldn't be impossible. Most of the council is already lobbying for your training; even some of the ninja on the committee think it is a good idea." Kakashi leant back against the wall, his hand involuntarily reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose in an attempt to relieve the beginnings of a headache before he forced the offending limb back down. "In principle, it is. But not while you are this young, and definitely not under Danzo, of all people."

This was a worst-case scenario. Naruto would either have to be put into the Academy, which the civilian sector stubbornly opposed, for fear of Naruto's control (or lack of) over the Kyuubi's chakra, or he would have to be inducted into ANBU, as Rin had implied this morning.

So, Kakashi thought dryly, the rock or the hard place?

When Naruto suddenly looked up, catching his eye, Kakashi knew the answer. The grim light of realization in the blue eyes was exactly the same that Minato had when he'd found out what he needed to do. Kakashi closed his eyes, resigning himself to Naruto's decision.

"So, the rock or the hard place, mm?" Naruto mused thoughtfully. "Well, the rock is awfully uncompromising…" He joked playfully. "So, Jackal _Buntaichō_, I suppose we're stuck with a hard place."

Kakashi breathed softly, a sigh unwillingly escaping though his lips. "We'll see."

-o0o—

**Author's Notes: **

Yes, Kakashi is somewhat OOC. Yes, Naruto is way out of character. However, Rin is still alive and Naruto's life has been drastically changed from canon. I think that allows for some OOCness. This is a plot bunny I have been tossing back and forth for ages, not sure whether or not to post. The idea is a bit different from what I usually do, but I'm going to have fun writing this.

I think I'm pushing the bounds of canon a bit, but this is an AU…

I would love it if you could give opinions on how Rin and Kakashi are characterized; they will be a couple in this story. Rin, for now, seems a bit generic; hopefully I'll be able to more fully develop her character in later chapters. I'm also not entirely happy with this chapter, but I promised to grey-shadow-horse to have this out by the end of May, and its several days late already.

Readers, I hope you have enjoyed.

-Port


	2. Chapter 2

Reaping the Consequences

Chapter 2- A Step Forwards

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

Kakashi hadn't wanted to.

He really, really hadn't wanted to.

But Naruto did, and since it was, after all, him being inducted into the anonymity of ANBU at _six years of age_, Kakashi also didn't have much of a choice.

Naruto was going to see the Hokage about the topic Kakashi had been dreading.

ANBU.

"Hey, Jackal-san." He muttered, clutching to Kakashi's back as they traversed the corridors. "How much longer?"

Kakashi had only been carrying him for all of thirty seconds. He'd counted. "Not long."

Naruto snorted. "You are traveling the base at thirty miles an hour. When a minute passes, half a mile while have passed. It will take…" He paused to calculate in his head. "approximately three and a half more minutes to exit, judging by past excursions. That's two miles." He paused. "Jackal-san, ANBU HQ-" he sighed, "is really damn big."

The older nin radiated amusement. "Ma, well." A beat. "Language."

Naruto scoffed. "It's a little late for that."

In fact, the jinchuriki was right. The place could be considered an underground small town just by itself. When inspecting food from a new trading source, it went through here. New medication? Tested here also. Kinjutsu? Guess. ANBU did the dirty work of Konoha, true, but there were many more mundane duties that required the secrecy of the black ops headquarters. A select group of jounin and special jounin worked in the classified sections, while extremely trustworthy chunin could work in the bureaucratic areas without ever knowing they'd been to the base. Not that Naruto had ever really seen any of this. However, the brat was too smart for his own good, and had likely inferred most of this already.

Kakashi wondered if this was how people felt when they spoke to him when he was younger.

They exited the underground base via Shunshin into a dingy munitions warehouse, one of the many covert exits for ANBU leaving the base. Just as Naruto hopped off Kakashi's back and made to escape to the rooftops, a single gloved arm stopped him.

"Hold it." Kakashi pulled a blank white mask out from his robes. It looked much like a regular ANBU mask, save for the fact it had no animal face molded into it. He slipped it onto Naruto's head, a simple genjutsu locking in and preventing anyone from remembering the details of the wearer's appearance.

"Aw, come on." Naruto complained.

"You know it's necessary." Kakashi said. The mask was extremely useful for concealing the identities of the people the ANBU dealt with. Of course, the genjutsu had its shortcomings, but Kakashi could be sure that civilians and ninja of chunin level and lower would not recognize anyone hidden behind the mask based solely on hair color, clothing, and body characteristics. However, physical tics and body language could easily be matched to a face, so Naruto would need a crash course in that as soon as possible. Even more so if he really was to be inducted into ANBU.

The boy grumbled, but stopped fidgeting with the mask.

They left the warehouse, startling a civilian woman out to buy her groceries by leaping fifteen feet onto the rooftop of a residential home. Neither of them made any noise on the terra cotta tiles.

"Jackal-san," Naruto said, "do you think the old man will really let me be ANBU?"

Kakashi tilted his head just so to catch the tap-tap-tap of Naruto's sandals. The jinchuriki had sped up to keep step with his guard. Naruto, noticing the motion, immediately attempted to quiet his movement. After a few minutes of this, the ANBU finally spoke. "Hokage-sama has no choice. In fact, he is probably more aware of Danzo-san's machinations than we are."

"Really?"

"He is the Hokage."

"_He's _not the one getting nice, personal visits from creepy emotionless ROOT ninja."

Kakashi rolled his eyes behind his mask. Naruto was regaining his usual attitude already. "When we meet with Hokage-sama, you may tell him that to his face."

"You," Naruto proclaimed with all the seriousness of a judge and jury, "are no fun."

"So I'm told."

Out of the corner of his eye, the ANBU spotted Naruto displaying lighthearted irritation in every line of his body.

He acted just like a new ANBU recruit, which Kakashi supposed he was. They were always so loud, broadcasting their intentions too freely.

The silver-haired ANBU, reaching the courtyard surrounding the Hokage tower, jumped to the ground and easily leapt to the wall, walking up twenty feet and clinging on with chakra.

Naruto, stuck on the ground, growled. "No. Fair."

Kakashi smirked in amusement. "Climb. I know you can."

He patiently waited for Naruto to take a few tottering steps up the wall. Naruto often paused to readjust the chakra collected at the soles of his feet, grumbling under his breath.

The jinchuriki eventually came level with Kakashi and paused, moving shakily because of his tenuous grip on the wall. "Happy now?"

"Yes." His one open eye curved into a u. Had Naruto seen it, he would have been struck by the immediate urge to punch his guardian in the face.

Said guardian picked up Naruto and piggybacked him the rest of the way up.

Kakashi peered through the window, just in time to see the retreating back of one Danzo Shimura and the exhausted look on the old Hokage's face. Levering the window, open, he let himself in.

"Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was old, old and tired. It never showed more than it did now. "Jackal."

Naruto's tongue tripped over the unfamiliar and, to him, overly-formal address. "H-Hokage-sama."

Immediately, the Hokage's eyes narrowed.

Kakashi could feel the thrum of the newly-activated privacy seals, designed to distort the sound and vision of the area in the room.

The process completed, the Hokage turned to face them. "That," Sarutobi pronounced with a weary finality, "had better not be who I think he is."

Naruto scowled.

The Hokage, sensing the displeasure, groaned and tapped out his pipe in a small ashtray. "Very well. What can I do for you?"

"For starters," Naruto said, "what about explaining things?"

Kakashi quashed the urge to facepalm. A ninja did not go up to the Hokage and demand things. The Hokage demanded things of the ninja, and it would never be the other way around. "What he means to say," Kakashi sighed, "is, "Hokage-sama, what do you plan to do about Danzo and the ROOT ninja are threatening me? Are you going to put me into ANBU?"

He silently dared Naruto to contradict him.

Displaying more life-preservation instinct than since he'd arrived in the Hokage's office, Naruto wisely kept his mouth shut.

"There is no other choice." Sarutobi finally said, putting his pipe back in his mouth.

He looked drained any vitality he might have had left.

Naruto folded his arms. He muttered, "Looks like I'm joining up after all."

"Yes." Sarutobi didn't sound surprised that they knew.

Kakashi's eyebrow rose. "Surely that is not all, Hokage-sama?"

"No." Sarutobi snorted. "No, it is not. You need protection and training," he addressed Naruto, "and I have very few ideas how to give both."

The solution to that was pathetically simple. So simple, in fact, that Kakashi was sure that the Hokage was manipulating him into pointing it out. "Then find an ANBU whom you would trust not to harm Naruto, and sufficiently skilled enough to teach and protect him."

"It is not that easy. I hope to be assured of his mental welfare as well, Jackal-san."

Oh. Right. Well, that just complicated things.

"I'm right here, you know." Naruto informed the two adults grumpily.

"Of course." Kakashi said smoothly.

The jinchuriki flailed. "Why can't I just tell you who I want to teach me?"

"You don't know all of the ANBU in the base, if any, you don't know their strengths, weaknesses, or how they really feel about you, and the most of the people you know," Kakashi paused, "are paper-pushers."

"Hey! Iruka-sensei is really nice!"

"Yes." Kakashi sighed. "After you told him- quite rudely, I might add- to stay away from you when he just said hello, it's amazing he stuck around. Besides, your Iruka-sensei isn't cleared to know the identities of any ANBU. That would probably hinder your training, to say the least."

"It doesn't matter." Naruto scoffed. "I already know who I would prefer to teach me, and it's not Iruka-sensei."

The Hokage interrupted Naruto's rant, a suspicious gleam in his eye. "Oh? And who might that be?"

A sudden chill ran up Kakashi's spine.

"Jackal-san." Naruto declared. "What do you think?" He asked brightly, turning to the suddenly very nervous, twitchy ANBU.

The old man had _predicted_ this. The conniving old fart of a Hokage had _predicted_ this. Kakashi knew it, just as that mischievous glint of I-pulled-a-fast-one-on-you in the Hokage's eye existed. He felt like hitting himself on the head for not noticing earlier.

Who interacted with Naruto on a near-daily basis?

Him.

Who had already taught Naruto how to understand the scrolls he read, and how to manage his chakra?

Him.

Who gained Naruto's trust?

Him.

In fact, it was patently idiotic that Kakashi hadn't seen this coming from miles away. He was perfect for the job.

He sighed.

Sarutobi, however, looked positively cheerful. "That is a great idea!" He turned to face Kakashi. "Jackal-san, would you be willing to take Naruto on as a student?"

Kakashi took one look at the Naruto's determined face, and shook his head in exasperation. "Of course, Hokage-sama."

"Very good."

Naruto looked positively gleeful. "Great! When does training start?"

"Not so fast, Naruto." The Sandaime chuckled. The problem was solved, but he looked no more happy than he did at the beginning of the meeting. He looked worse. "We have to register you first. And your training is not something to be taken lightly."

Kakashi knew. Oh, he knew how painful ANBU could be.

When he next spoke, he sounded dead. "Be aware of what you are getting into, Naruto. Some leeway will be given, but on certain missions, ANBU cannot afford leeway. You will be treated like an extraordinarily powerful recruit. They will expect more from you, never mind your age."

Naruto's eyes turned chilly. "I know."

He stared at the jinchuriki for a very long moment, willing the emotional bias away. He saw pain. He saw loneliness. But above all, there was an overwhelming drive that crushed all in its path. "Maybe you do."

Kakashi whispered more quietly, back in the silent of ANBU headquarters where Naruto slept peacefully under a blanket, tired from the excitement of the day. "Maybe you do."

Naruto had never reminded him of Minato, and himself, more than now.

AN:

…Sorry?

Inspiration is running… low, to say the least. It's picking up, so hopefully a new chapter for this or other stories will come out soon.

-Port


End file.
